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Marine Iguanas

Amy composing a shot

Sea Lion

"Blue-footed boobie"

Marine Iguana

Well, since the Galapagos are a National Park there are some
very important rules to follow.
First rule of the Galapagos you must not talk about the Galapagos,
second rule of the Galapagos you must not talk about the Galapagos, third rule
of the Galapagos you must not talk about the Galapagos, etc…Basically since
your in a pristine natural park you must not take anything off the islands
& import it with you back to the mainland or else you could pay a very
hefty fine to the national park service.
That wouldn’t be fun. So
those shells your itching to take home, best bet is to do it via your
camera. Basically be careful not
to transport any live material to the islands, or from one island to the next.
Do not be taking any food, to the uninhabited islands. Of course a big no no,
not to touch or handle any of the animals, you don’t want a sea lion to attack
you or a bird for that matter. Of course the animals may not be fed. Don’t be
startling or chase any animals from its resting or nesting spot. Do not leave
the areas which are designated are visiting sites, basically stay on the trails
and don’t be wondering off & disrupting the eco system. Always take your litter with you, I
think that’s just a common rule for any hiker any where in the world, basically
leave the trail how you found it. Oh another big one, do not buy souvenirs or
objects made from plants or animals of the islands, but they say wood is ok.
Also, camping without a permit is against the law, got to obey those rules, but
you can’t build a campfire only use gasoline or kerosene stove. Basically it’s best to leave the dead
trees alone for the ecosystem is what the national park is telling you. Oh,
don’t be painting name or graffiti on the rocks. Another big one, all groups
must have a register guide. The national park is divided into different zones
to facilitate its rule. And finally, don’t hesitate to show your
conservationist attitude to protect the Galapagos for the future. Those are the
basic rules outline in a nutshell. But another major one that is forgotten to
go out & have some fun & to enjoy this paradise, it’s amazing!

Whale Bones

Sea Lion Carcass Decaying

Another day sailing around the enchanted Galapagos with
numerous crossing of the Equator during the night as well as during the day,
which is pretty remarkable to say “yes, I’ve sailed across the Equator” &
it was pretty amazing. I really
enjoy the island that we are stopping at for a pretty amazing mammal, the
marine iguanas. However, the do
look like something from the dinosaur time, but they are pretty fun to watch as
they sit on top of one another or just swimming around the ocean going their
merry way. Fernandiana, once known
as Narborough, is an imposing volcano rising to 1520 meters in elevation that
is one of the most active volcanoes in the world & the world’s largest
completely pristine island. It’s
known of the flanks that are streaked with innumerable fresh lava flows, which
mostly are black & lifeless.
The landing site for the morning s Punta Espinosa where it rejects the
abundant life supported directly by the rich seas bathing this stark coastline.
The marine iguanas are basking in the sun on the dark lava, while sea lions,
penguins’ flightless cormorants, herons & sea turtles can also be seen
here. The hike is mostly along the
shoreline, over solid black slabs of “ropy” lava, which can be traced back to
the Hawaiian term “Pahoehoe”. This
place is amazing. You never know
what’s waiting for you around every corner. Always having your camera prepared waiting for that perfect
shot. Always better to take more
than what you think you need in these islands.

Welcome to the Marine Iguana show, again another morning to
catch a glimpse of the “golden hour” to take advantage of some of the best
light of the day. Oh, I was happy
to do so at that time. I found myself
getting a new name for the National Geographic Photographer Amy Toensing who is
on board for two weeks with her husband Matt Moyer who is also a National
Geographic Photographer, “blue footed-boobie” cos my toe shoes, are blue &
I could easily be mistaken for a boobie. I asked her if she wanted a photo and
she finally got on of my feet next to the black lava. I’m enjoying talking with Amy & Matt, they are very down
to earth, easy to talk to & explains the photo concepts in a smile matter
with examples. I particular like
how Amy is using writing a sentence as an analogy to composing a photograph
with having a subject & verb in your sentence. It’s all about thinking about working in layers with your
foreground & background. It’s
nice to have the chance to go out & shoot with pros to learn something
new. It’s been a wonderful
experience.

Galapagos Penguins

I quite enjoy walking along the shore of Fernandina cos you
never know what your going to get.
The first stop was to watch the marine iguanas at sunrise & honestly
it felt like ten minutes went by before you knew it an hour had gone by. The lighting was awesome at this
hour. I love to watch the marine
iguanas cos you get to see each of the characteristics of its faces. However, the head banging that I found
out from the Naturalist Jonathan was to inform me to get out of their
territory. They got quite the way to let humans to know when to leave. They are
just fun to watch cos you never know what they are going to do. I also found out that there are seven
species of marine iguanas in the Galapagos & it’s the only place in the
world where you can see them. Also, this is matting time for many of the
animals here & some have just given birth as well. A nice time to see what
is going on. The coast of this
island is pretty young with black lava & sand where you can find sea lions,
birds, Sally Lightfoot Crabs to name a few of the species that you see along
your walk. Also, not to forget
looking at the cactus & whale bones.
Sometimes you might find some dead animals too. I saw a dead sea lion eroding away
& it was quite interesting to take a peak of. It didn’t scare me like the dead birds. Overall another beautiful morning
walking on shore for a little over three hours to make a story with the first
light of the day. I also, enjoy
snorkeling off the coast of the island.
There’s definitely something special about this place knowing that
you’re bound to find a marine iguana at any time. This I didn’t see one or a penguin, but got to hear a
penguin instead. I saw several
giant sea turtles, sea cucumber, sea urchins, a few rays & beautiful school
of fishes amongst the rocks & coral.
Overall a very satisfying morning.

Yet again, I find myself sailing across the Equator to
experience summer & winter all in one day. However, in these parts it’s known as the rainy & dry
seasons. I realized that we
crossed the mouth of the Bolivar Channel that separates Fernandina &
Isabela (it looks like a sea horse) set to Ecuador Volcano on Isabela. It’s a
bit overcast with sprinkles of rain, but still nice & warm with sun peaking
threw the clouds. I found out that
most of the spectacular shield volcano that is bisected by the Equator
collapsed and slumped away into the ocean, leaving some fascinating views of
the inner caldera wall & the caldera floor. The ship dropped anchor at the
southern end of the caldera, in an area called Punta Vincent Roca. It’s an amazing spot to take a wee
zodiac cruise along the base of the imposing cliffs. Also, in view is two of Islabela’s five volcanoes, one being
Wolf Volcano, which is the highest geographical point in the archipelago. However,
these islands have had many problems with introduced organisms over the span of
time since humans started to colonize them. Wolf Volcano on the northern end of Isablea is the site of
recent discovery of a new species of the pink land iguana. Cruising around in a zodiac looking for
a Galapagos sunfish, looking at boobies & other birds, got to see pair of
birds mating, penguins up close & persona on rocks, caves, sea turtles
& a working fishing boat. Another
successful day of sailing & not to forget that I’ve crossed the Equator
several times once again.